Posted
by
CmdrTacoon Monday January 18, 1999 @11:05AM
from the wouldn't-that-be-nice dept.

Bruce Hollebone writes "Last
week, chemists at the University of Rochester reported they
had figured out how to get optical plastics to self-assemble
(Abstract
from Science,requires login.
non-technical
summary from ABC News). This material could be an
important step towards better photonics, including an optical
computer. This is real nano-tech, with precise molecular control.
The molecular structure of the plastic was engineered to be
a precise shape from the human scale right down to the
atomic level. The point here is that this was done with boring
old chemicals in test tubes rather than the
exotic "nano-machines",
proposed by the Drexlerites, shrouded in their mists of
vapour. "